Skip to Content

Reference (Encyclopedias, etc.)

Best Bets

Credo Reference Sign In Required

Articles from dictionaries, general and subject encyclopedias, handbooks, atlases, and more.

Gale eBooks Sign in Required

Selected dictionaries, encyclopedias, and reference books in many subjects.

Online version of the Encyclopaedia Britannica with brief overviews of most topics.

Search the full, unabridged Merriam-Webster Third New International Dictionary for English vocabulary definitions. Other search options include the Collegiate Thesaurus and the Collegiate Dictionary.

The OED is a current and historical dictionary of English that includes etymologies (word histories). The Historical Thesaurus, an index of all the words in the OED by year, shows when words entered the English language. Both the OED and the Historical Thesaurus are updated quarterly.

upper arrowtop